Mooching over the Confusion with Avian influenza (“Bird Flu”) Vaccines
The race is underway.
RFK Jr. canceled Moderna's $600 million funding for developing its bird flu vaccine this week. In the final days of the Biden Administration, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a $590 million investment in Moderna to accelerate the development of mRNA vaccines for potential pandemic influenza viruses and enhance the platform's readiness to respond.
Moderna were going to develop and evaluate an mRNA vaccine against H7N9 avian influenza in a phase 3 clinical trial. The company also planned to design four other novel “pandemic flu” vaccines.
The funding was in addition to the $176 million the HHS awarded last year to develop and test a pre-pandemic mRNA vaccine against H5N1 avian influenza.
It's challenging to comprehend what the $600 million was for, given that mRNA technology can be rapidly tailored to different diseases or variants by interchanging the mRNA component.
However, we got confused when we read the Mail article about the mRNA vaccine's U-turn. The article reported that no vaccine is currently available for “bird flu.”
However, in our December 2024 post on the H5N1 vaccine UKHSA purchased from CSL/Sequirus Ltd., we reported that the FDA licensed the Audenz vaccine (Incellipan in Europe) on 24 April 2024 “for use in persons 6 months of age and older at increased risk of exposure to the influenza A virus H5N1 subtype contained in the vaccine.”
As we reported, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is taking the threat to poultry and cattle seriously with a five-pronged plan. On February 14, Zoetis received a conditional license from the USDA for chickens for the Avian Influenza Vaccine, H5N2 Subtype, killed virus.
In 2016, Zoetis received a conditional license for its H5N1 vaccine and a contract from the USDA's National Veterinary Stockpile. This vaccine was first used by the US Fish & Wildlife Service in 2023 to help protect California condors. Additionally, “Zoetis also holds a USDA license for POULVAC® FLUFEND™ i AI H5N3 RG,” available outside the US. In 2024, the vaccine was used in endangered birds trials in New Zealand despite no reported cases of Bird flu.
Our post on H5 Avian Influenza Vaccine Procurement also reported that the Medgene vaccine is available for H5N1-infected dairy cattle, and the WHO is also working on a new initiative: an advanced mRNA vaccine against H5N1.
Furthermore, on 12 February 2025, the EU Committee for Veterinary Medicinal Products (CVMP) approved the Vectormune HVT-AIV, H5N1 vaccine for one-day-old chickens. The following zoonotic influenza vaccines are authorised centrally in the EU: Aflunov, Celldemic and Zoonotic Influenza Vaccine Seqirus for use in humans. However, as we said, we're confused about whether some vaccines are the same products with different names and why we need three.
Perhaps we should stop reading the Mail, we can hear you say.
Several bird flu vaccines are currently approved for use in humans (at least 3) and animals, and the number is rapidly increasing.
Based on Myra’s dissertation, our interpretation was that 10 combinations of H and N antigens potentially pathogenic to humans could produce at least ten stockpiled vaccines, which may be underestimated when considering all the animal vaccines.
There is also an alternative explanation, which we will offer you in a series of ruminations.
But one thing’s for sure, the bird flu vaccine race is underway.
Two old geezers who don't like to be confused wrote this post.
they have to make this Dodo fly, don't they? They are running behind it, shouting encouraging noises and going "shoo, shoo" to try to get it airborne.
I'm looking very much forward to your series of ruminations!
The one thing puzzling me is: have all this 'dangerous to human health' zoonotic viruses evolved in this millennium - or have they been around for millennia with nobody any the wiser? If that is the case: why are we still alive, given that there were no mRNA vaccines (or indeed much of any other vaccines) around 100 years ago?